essay writing for primary 4

Essay for Primary School: Simple Guide for Kids [with Samples]

The age of primary school students ranges from 5 to 11 years. At this stage of education, children start developing their writing skills. They make their first steps to analyzing and proving their points of view. Besides, they study how to write an essay for elementary school.

Correctly preparing all types of homework, from creative to persuasive writing, is something they should learn how to do. Surely, they need assistance in completing the first tasks. Right now, we will present to you the essentials of a good essay for primary school:

• A captivating topic;
• A precise and clear thesis statement;
• Several introductory sentences;
• Several supporting sentences;
• A strong concluding part.

If now you are looking for some hints for writing primary school essays, you have come to the right place. Especially considering the fact that children may approach the task in a variety of ways depending on how they prefer to study (which is easy to find out by taking a learning style quiz for kids). Below, our team has prepared tips and tricks for kids to nail their primary-level academic papers.

💡 How to Write an Essay for Primary School

An essay is one of the first written assignments you may get. So, we advise you to pay special attention to what your teacher says. Before assigning such a task, they give you explanations for preparing a primary school essay.

Usually, elementary school essays are meant to fire up kids’ imagination and expose their writing skills. No matter what the purpose is, you should approach the task with care.

What should an essay for primary school include?

• A captivating topic ; Selecting a topic is the first thing you will do after you get your assignment. Carefully examine the task’s details and think about something appropriate for your elementary level. Brainstorming your ideas is an excellent place to start.
• A precise and clear thesis statement; Make sure your thesis statement is accurate and brief. Without a clear thesis, your essay will not have a central idea and will be hard to develop. A precise statement tells the reader what your writing is about. Besides, it exposes how good your grip on the central idea is.
• Several introductory sentences; A great introductory paragraph can help you grab your readers’ attention. You can start by including a quote, telling an anecdote, or asking a question. In the introduction, the author also identifies the purpose of the essay and the topic. The paragraph ends with a thesis statement and prepares the reader for the supporting sentences.
• Several supporting sentences; This part of your essay will include the position you presented in the thesis statement. It will either offer an idea or defend it. It can be done in several ways: you can include reasons, examples, and supporting points.
• A strong concluding part. The conclusion wraps up the essay, but it emphasizes all the principal points you have argued throughout your essay. It is the last chance to sway your reader by explaining why the topic is relevant to them. Ending your essay with a strong concluding part shows that the thesis statement has been defended.

Essays for primary schools do not require research or analytical data. All you need is to present your ideas on the specified or chosen topic. Mind the proverb, “the written word remains” while writing your first elementary level essay.

The thing is:

The essay structure explained above will work for assignment kids will face in elementary school, middle school, high school, and up to college level. Teaching kids to write a traditional five-paragraph essay is essential for their academic success. It helps explain to them how to argue their ideas in a coherent and structured manner.

If you need more help with writing essays or with essay proofreading , you are welcome at our site.

✨ Topics for Primary School Essays

See the primary school essay topics that are manageable for an elementary level. It should be interesting for a kid but also informative and engaging for the readers.

These topics will get an A+ for your next school assignment:

• Our world in 50 years;
• My first day at school;
• Future profession;
• My summer holidays;
• My journey through primary school;
• When I grow up… etc.…

You can find a good topic but have no idea how to write a good paper on it. These five essay prompts can be helpful if you need some inspiration.

• What is your favorite day of the week, and why? Think about a day of the week you enjoy the most. Why do you like it? Most of us wait for weekends to rest and spend time outside and with our families and friends. If that’s your case, describe how your usual Sunday looks and explain why you enjoy it.
• What do you like the most about winter? This is another great topic to consider, especially for creative writing. Everyone can pick at least several things they enjoy about winter. Whether it’s the snow, the winter sports, the holidays, or the winter break, write about something you like. It’s a fun and engaging topic for everyone.
• Who’s your hero? All of us have a person they admire. It can be your father, your friend, or a celebrity. Think about the qualities or their actions that make them so special. You can try to tell a little bit about their biography and explain how they influenced you.
• What’s a good friend? You probably have a best friend. In this essay, you can try to explain what qualities do you personally appreciate in them. If you haven’t found a best friend yet, you can try to think about what kind of people you enjoy interacting with.
• Your biggest dream. People are born with the ability to dream. What is your biggest dream? Is it to learn how to drive a boat or visit savanna and see the big five? This essay lets your imagination and your creativity run wild.
• The car I dream about.
• Explain what friendship means to you.
• Describe your parents.
• How do you understand happiness?
• Write how you help your classmates with autism to feel included.
• The most important event of my childhood.
• Discuss why physical activity is important for children and what types of activity you like best.
• Do you like to take part in competitive sports?
• Explain why you like or don’t like figure skating.
• A person who inspires me: my mother .
• What dog would you like to have?  
• Describe your visit to Disneyland or any other theme park.
• My travel to Dresden.
• What challenges did you face in primary school?
• Do you believe in online-friendship?
• What do you do when you feel stressed?
• Tell about your puppy and how you take care of it.
• The reasons my teacher is the brightest figure in my life.
• Describe the kindergarten you went to and explain why you liked or didn’t like it.
• How did you deal with bullies in the kindergarten.
• How I won the fight by losing it .
• Write about your favorite primary school teacher.
• Why everyone should have a pet .
• Explain how you interact with other kids at school.
• Tell about the most exciting event in your life.
• Explore how eating healthy food can help you to do better at school.
• Describe your first visit to a museum.
• The difference of being a child in the past and today. 
• Write about your trip to Yellowstone National Park and what you liked the most about it.
• What makes a good parent?
• How does your dream home look like?
• Do you remember what difficulties you faced while learning to write?
• Tell about your favorite holiday.
• What do you like about Christmas?
• How I learned to ride a bicycle.
• Describe the lessons you have in primary school and which of them is your favorite.
• Write about your physical education teacher.
• Discuss the pre-school education facility you’ve visited.

Sometimes such prompts can help you better than primary school essay writing samples. First of all, it gives you a direction by leaving you with the questions that only you can answer. Second, it shows you a variety of topics and themes available. Nevertheless, we still encourage you to look at some simple essays for primary school for better results.

All in all:

Essays are the most common academic paper that might seem easy to a writer. Our free tips will help you to get through any kind of paper. Still, if you are stuck on essay writing, you can always ask us for help!

Thank you for reading the article! Share it with peers and leave a comment below to let us know your opinion.

Further reading:

• Essay Topics for Grade 8, 9, 10, 12
• What Does an Excellent Essay Look Like?
• 1000-Word Essays: Quick Answers
• Breaking Down the Types of Essays
• A Complete Guide to Essay Writing
• How to Write a Good 5 Paragraph Essay
• The Basics of Effective Essay Writing: Becton Loveless, Education Corner
• 50 Writing Prompts for Elementary School Children: Janelle Cox, ThoughtCo
• Student Writing Models: Thoughtful Learning K-12
• Elementary Archives: JournalBuddies.com
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Being a primary school teacher of English language, I have discovered that many students leave primary school without basic essay writing skills. This is because as teachers, we do less to help and guide the learners in this aspect. We do less because we lack the knowledge and ability to guide the learners perfect this writing skills yet it is considered the production stage of language learning. Kindly help me. Guide me further so that I can also guide my learners.

A great suggestion for primary teachers and parents!

This is a very good method to preach the acknowledgments on report writing towards people.

Thank you for your great effort and help. Your blog has taught me many things! Thanks for this fantastic blog post on writing primary school essays.

Thanks for the post on writing essays for primary schools. It’s a real help for me and my son, who just starts to learn how to write essays.

JournalBuddies.com

Journal Buddies Jill | September 18, 2024 May 17, 2023 | Prompts by Grade

46 Excellent Essay Topics for Elementary Students

Pair these Essay Writing Topics for Elementary Students with Journaling – — Yep. We suggest having kids practice essay writing with these prompts and journal writing time. You see…

Journaling is a time-honored pedagogical tradition that helps kids in elementary school engage with their budding vocabularies, penmanship, and reading comprehension.

Plus, it gets them to use their imaginations and process their own thoughts and feelings. (In other words, journal writing rocks.)

Now….

That doesn’t mean any ol’ journaling session is effective, however.

If you just toss kids down at their seats with notebooks and pencils and tell them to have at it, they’re likelier to produce rambling absurdity than they are well-constructed ideas. That’s not to say absurdity and freedom don’t have their place, because they do – but that’s what free-writing is for, not structured journal time.

With that in mind, here’s a starter list of essay writing topics that give your student’s structured journaling time some direction. Use these essay prompts for elementary students to help kids get better at personal essay writing, learn to use those budding language skills, and express their ideas more effectively.

Enjoy these essay topics for elementary students. Hopefully these prove to be a source of inspiration for your young students.

• What do you like LEAST about summer?
• What’s your favorite day of the week and why?
• If you could be any made-up animal, what would you be? Feel free to choose something from mythology or invent your own creature.
• What is a good friend?
• What’s the best dinner you’ve ever had?
• A girl walks into a dark cave and hears a noise that sounds like the clinking of gold, followed by laughter. What is happening in that cave, and what would she see if she turned on the light?
• What is your favorite family tradition?
• What is your favorite dessert? Describe what it looks, tastes, smells, and feels like, and explain why you like it so much.
• What is your idea of a perfect weekend day?
• Have you ever ridden an animal (like a pony, horse, camel, or elephant)? What was it like and would you do it again? If you haven’t, what kind of animal would you like to ride?
• What do you like best about spring?
• What is the biggest apology you’ve ever had to give? How did you feel while you were giving it, beforehand and afterward?
• What do you like best about winter?
• If you could teach a classroom, what changes would you make compared to classrooms you’ve been in before?
• What would your ideal home look like?
• What is your bedroom like? Try to describe it in as detailed a way as possible: who you share it with (if anyone), what color the walls are, what the windows are like, what you have in it, and so on.
• What do you fear?
• When you have to face a fear, what do you do to help yourself be brave?
• Who is your hero, and why do you look up to them so much?
• What is the perfect pet?
• If you could choose to be any superhero, who would it be and why? If you prefer, you can just choose a superpower to have, and describe what it would be like to have it and why you like the idea.
• What does the future hold for you?

• How do you try to be a good friend to others? List the ways.
• What do you like better, giving or receiving presents?
• What is your least favorite food and how does it make you feel? Describe it with all of your senses (yes, even hearing!).
• What do you like best about autumn?
• If you had a perfect fantasy day, where you could do anything in the entire world or even in the galaxy, what would you do?
• When you get sad, what makes you happy? Use as much detail as possible.
• What would you like to be when you grow up, and why?
• What is your favorite color, and how does it make you feel?
• You wake up one morning and everything in your life is different, but you don’t remember it changing. What would you do?
• Are you a dog person or a cat person?
• What is your favorite activity to do after dinnertime? Why do you like this activity?
• When you help your parents or guardians out, how do you help them? What are your most common chores, and do you like or dislike them?
• What are you best at? Describe the skill in detail as well as why you’re good at it.
• What would your ideal castle be like? Describe its specific parts – such as the grounds, the rooms, the main hall, or the jousting yards – as well as the overall effect of the building.
• What is your favorite school subject and why?
• Do you like chocolate? Why or why not?
• What is the best present you have ever received?
• Do you prefer weekdays or weekends?
• How many places have you lived, and what did you like or dislike about them?
• What’s your favorite music?
• Are you excited to grow up, or do you wish you could stay a kid?
• Do you like writing? What would you change about journal writing time if you could?
• Design three  essay prompts  that you would give the students in this classroom. Why do you think these are good subjects to write about? (Think carefully – we may use these prompts this year!)

Not only are there some great essay topics for kids here, these ideas also make great journal prompts.

239 More Free Writing Ideas

Check out these great resources for elementary students

• 35 Awesome Essay Topics for Kids
• 15 Persuasive Writing Prompts
• 30 Excellent Informative Writing Prompts
• 31 Fun Writing Prompts
• 128 Creative Writing Prompts
• Essay Writing Tips for Elementary Students

Now, see …

The Favorites List

In addition to the list of essay topics for elementary students above, I have this excellent and simple list of writing ideas for you to use in your lesson plans and classroom instruction. You see…

For those reluctant writers or non-writers, we suggest you use the time-tested favorite writing prompts. They are simple ideas that nearly every writer can answer without much effort. Plus, they are an excellent way to get those creative writing juices flowing for writers of all skill levels.

Have students write about their:

• Favorite foods
• Favorite place
• Favorite book
• Favorite video games
• Favorite season
• Favorite movie
• Favorite animal
• Favorite gift
• favorite song
• Favorite toy
• Favorite grade in school so far
• Favorite way to express creativity
• Favorite class teacher

Now let’s check out…

A Few Final Writing Ideas and Essay Topics for Kids

• Making new friends is…
• Dress codes in school should be…
• Middle school students are…
• High school students are…
• Cookies make the world…
• The thought of starting a new school makes me…

Oh, and there are prompts on my blog for many types of essays so be sure to take a look around.

Ok, that’s all for now.

Until next time, write on…

If you enjoyed these Essay topics for Elementary Students , please share them on social media via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest.or elsewhere. I appreciate it!

Sincerely, Jill journalbuddies.com creator and curator

PS Check out this excellent essay writing resource—> 12 Awesome and Effective Essay Writing Tips for Kids!

Tap to See Prompts 50+ Super Persuasive Writing Topics for Kids  33 Excellent Procedural Writing Ideas 30 Great 5th Grade Opinion Writing Prompts Search Search Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7-8 Grade 9-12 All Ages ------------End of Om Added --------- Tags Elementary , elementary students , essay , Essay Prompts , essay writing , Essay Writing Elementary Kids , Essay Writing Ideas , Essay Writing Topics , free writing , Grade 1 , Grade 2 , Grade 3 , Grade 4 , Grade 5 , help kids writing , journal , journal time , journal writing , journaling , language skills , prompts , Prompts by Grade , structured journal time , write , writing , Writing Prompts Elementary Kids div#postbottom { margin-top: 12px; } Search Now Offering You 19,000+ Prompts!

Essay Writing: A complete guide for students and teachers

P LANNING, PARAGRAPHING AND POLISHING: FINE-TUNING THE PERFECT ESSAY

Essay writing is an essential skill for every student. Whether writing a particular academic essay (such as persuasive, narrative, descriptive, or expository) or a timed exam essay, the key to getting good at writing is to write. Creating opportunities for our students to engage in extended writing activities will go a long way to helping them improve their skills as scribes.

But, putting the hours in alone will not be enough to attain the highest levels in essay writing. Practice must be meaningful. Once students have a broad overview of how to structure the various types of essays, they are ready to narrow in on the minor details that will enable them to fine-tune their work as a lean vehicle of their thoughts and ideas.

In this article, we will drill down to some aspects that will assist students in taking their essay writing skills up a notch. Many ideas and activities can be integrated into broader lesson plans based on essay writing. Often, though, they will work effectively in isolation – just as athletes isolate physical movements to drill that are relevant to their sport. When these movements become second nature, they can be repeated naturally in the context of the game or in our case, the writing of the essay.

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Planning an essay

The Boys Scouts’ motto is famously ‘Be Prepared’. It’s a solid motto that can be applied to most aspects of life; essay writing is no different. Given the purpose of an essay is generally to present a logical and reasoned argument, investing time in organising arguments, ideas, and structure would seem to be time well spent.

Given that essays can take a wide range of forms and that we all have our own individual approaches to writing, it stands to reason that there will be no single best approach to the planning stage of essay writing. That said, there are several helpful hints and techniques we can share with our students to help them wrestle their ideas into a writable form. Let’s take a look at a few of the best of these:

BREAK THE QUESTION DOWN: UNDERSTAND YOUR ESSAY TOPIC.

Whether students are tackling an assignment that you have set for them in class or responding to an essay prompt in an exam situation, they should get into the habit of analyzing the nature of the task. To do this, they should unravel the question’s meaning or prompt. Students can practice this in class by responding to various essay titles, questions, and prompts, thereby gaining valuable experience breaking these down.

Have students work in groups to underline and dissect the keywords and phrases and discuss what exactly is being asked of them in the task. Are they being asked to discuss, describe, persuade, or explain? Understanding the exact nature of the task is crucial before going any further in the planning process, never mind the writing process .

BRAINSTORM AND MIND MAP WHAT YOU KNOW:

Once students have understood what the essay task asks them, they should consider what they know about the topic and, often, how they feel about it. When teaching essay writing, we so often emphasize that it is about expressing our opinions on things, but for our younger students what they think about something isn’t always obvious, even to themselves.

Brainstorming and mind-mapping what they know about a topic offers them an opportunity to uncover not just what they already know about a topic, but also gives them a chance to reveal to themselves what they think about the topic. This will help guide them in structuring their research and, later, the essay they will write . When writing an essay in an exam context, this may be the only ‘research’ the student can undertake before the writing, so practicing this will be even more important.

RESEARCH YOUR ESSAY

The previous step above should reveal to students the general direction their research will take. With the ubiquitousness of the internet, gone are the days of students relying on a single well-thumbed encyclopaedia from the school library as their sole authoritative source in their essay. If anything, the real problem for our students today is narrowing down their sources to a manageable number. Students should use the information from the previous step to help here. At this stage, it is important that they:

●      Ensure the research material is directly relevant to the essay task

●      Record in detail the sources of the information that they will use in their essay

●      Engage with the material personally by asking questions and challenging their own biases

●      Identify the key points that will be made in their essay

●      Group ideas, counterarguments, and opinions together

●      Identify the overarching argument they will make in their own essay.

Once these stages have been completed the student is ready to organise their points into a logical order.

WRITING YOUR ESSAY

There are a number of ways for students to organize their points in preparation for writing. They can use graphic organizers , post-it notes, or any number of available writing apps. The important thing for them to consider here is that their points should follow a logical progression. This progression of their argument will be expressed in the form of body paragraphs that will inform the structure of their finished essay.

The number of paragraphs contained in an essay will depend on a number of factors such as word limits, time limits, the complexity of the question etc. Regardless of the essay’s length, students should ensure their essay follows the Rule of Three in that every essay they write contains an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Generally speaking, essay paragraphs will focus on one main idea that is usually expressed in a topic sentence that is followed by a series of supporting sentences that bolster that main idea. The first and final sentences are of the most significance here with the first sentence of a paragraph making the point to the reader and the final sentence of the paragraph making the overall relevance to the essay’s argument crystal clear. 

Though students will most likely be familiar with the broad generic structure of essays, it is worth investing time to ensure they have a clear conception of how each part of the essay works, that is, of the exact nature of the task it performs. Let’s review:

Common Essay Structure

Introduction: Provides the reader with context for the essay. It states the broad argument that the essay will make and informs the reader of the writer’s general perspective and approach to the question.

Body Paragraphs: These are the ‘meat’ of the essay and lay out the argument stated in the introduction point by point with supporting evidence.

Conclusion: Usually, the conclusion will restate the central argument while summarising the essay’s main supporting reasons before linking everything back to the original question.

ESSAY WRITING PARAGRAPH WRITING TIPS

●      Each paragraph should focus on a single main idea

●      Paragraphs should follow a logical sequence; students should group similar ideas together to avoid incoherence

●      Paragraphs should be denoted consistently; students should choose either to indent or skip a line

●      Transition words and phrases such as alternatively , consequently , in contrast should be used to give flow and provide a bridge between paragraphs.

HOW TO EDIT AN ESSAY

Students shouldn’t expect their essays to emerge from the writing process perfectly formed. Except in exam situations and the like, thorough editing is an essential aspect in the writing process. 

Often, students struggle with this aspect of the process the most. After spending hours of effort on planning, research, and writing the first draft, students can be reluctant to go back over the same terrain they have so recently travelled. It is important at this point to give them some helpful guidelines to help them to know what to look out for. The following tips will provide just such help: 

One Piece at a Time: There is a lot to look out for in the editing process and often students overlook aspects as they try to juggle too many balls during the process. One effective strategy to combat this is for students to perform a number of rounds of editing with each focusing on a different aspect. For example, the first round could focus on content, the second round on looking out for word repetition (use a thesaurus to help here), with the third attending to spelling and grammar.

Sum It Up: When reviewing the paragraphs they have written, a good starting point is for students to read each paragraph and attempt to sum up its main point in a single line. If this is not possible, their readers will most likely have difficulty following their train of thought too and the paragraph needs to be overhauled.

Let It Breathe: When possible, encourage students to allow some time for their essay to ‘breathe’ before returning to it for editing purposes. This may require some skilful time management on the part of the student, for example, a student rush-writing the night before the deadline does not lend itself to effective editing. Fresh eyes are one of the sharpest tools in the writer’s toolbox.

Read It Aloud: This time-tested editing method is a great way for students to identify mistakes and typos in their work. We tend to read things more slowly when reading aloud giving us the time to spot errors. Also, when we read silently our minds can often fill in the gaps or gloss over the mistakes that will become apparent when we read out loud.

Phone a Friend: Peer editing is another great way to identify errors that our brains may miss when reading our own work. Encourage students to partner up for a little ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours’.

Use Tech Tools: We need to ensure our students have the mental tools to edit their own work and for this they will need a good grasp of English grammar and punctuation. However, there are also a wealth of tech tools such as spellcheck and grammar checks that can offer a great once-over option to catch anything students may have missed in earlier editing rounds.

Putting the Jewels on Display: While some struggle to edit, others struggle to let go. There comes a point when it is time for students to release their work to the reader. They must learn to relinquish control after the creation is complete. This will be much easier to achieve if the student feels that they have done everything in their control to ensure their essay is representative of the best of their abilities and if they have followed the advice here, they should be confident they have done so.

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Student Writing Models

How do I use student models in my classroom?

When you need an example written by a student, check out our vast collection of free student models. Scroll through the list, or search for a mode of writing such as “explanatory” or “persuasive.”

Jump to . . .

Explanatory writing.

• How Much I Know About Space Explanatory Paragraph
• My Favorite Pet Explanatory Paragraph
• Sweet Spring Explanatory Paragraph

Narrative Writing

• A Happy Day Narrative Paragraph
• My Trip to Mexico Narrative Paragraph

Creative Writing

• Happy Easter Story Paragraph
• Leaf Person Story

Research Writing

• Parrots Report
• If I Were President Explanatory Paragraph
• My Dad Personal Narrative
• The Horrible Day Personal Narrative

Response to Literature

• One Great Book Book Review
• A Fable Story
• Ant Poem Poem
• The Missing Coin Story
• Winter Words Poem
• Horses Report
• Ladybugs Report
• How to Make Boiled Eggs How-To

Persuasive Writing

• Plastic, Paper, or Cloth? Persuasive Paragraph
• The Funny Dance Personal Narrative
• The Sled Run Personal Narrative
• Hello, Spring! Poem
• Cheetahs Report

Business Writing

• Dear Ms. Nathan Email
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• Rules Personal Essay
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• Letter to the Editor Letter to the Editor
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• Grandpa, Chaz, and Me Personal Narrative
• Indy’s Life Story Personal Narrative
• Jet Bikes Personal Narrative
• The Day I Took the Spotlight Personal Narrative
• A Story of Survival Book Review
• Chloe’s Day Story
• Did You Ever Look At . . . Poem
• Dreams Poem
• I Am Attean Poem
• Sloppy Joes Poem
• The Civil War Poem
• The Haunted House Story
• The Terror of Kansas Story
• When I Was Upside Down Poem
• Deer Don’t Need to Flee to Stay Trouble-Free! Report
• Height-Challenged German Shepherd Report
• Friendship Definition
• What Really Matters News Feature
• Cheating in America Problem-Solution
• Hang Up and Drive Editorial
• Musical Arts Editorial
• Summer: 15 Days or 2 1/2 Months? Editorial
• A Cowboy's Journal Fictionalized Journal Entry
• Giving Life Personal Narrative
• The Great Paw Paw Personal Narrative
• The Racist Warehouse Personal Narrative
• Limadastrin Poem
• The Best Little Girl in the World Book Review
• How the Stars Came to Be Story
• Linden’s Library Story
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Personal Writing

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• From Bed Bound to Breaking Boards News Feature
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• Save the Elephants Cause-Effect
• Student Entrepreneur Reaches for Dreams of the Sky News Feature
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• Mosquito Madness Pet Peeve
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How to write a perfect essay

Need to write an essay? Does the assignment feel as big as climbing Mount Everest? Fear not. You’re up to the challenge! The following step-by step tips from the Nat Geo Kids Almanac will help you with this monumental task. 

Sometimes the subject matter of your essay is assigned to you, sometimes it’s not. Either way, you have to decide what you want to say. Start by brainstorming some ideas, writing down any thoughts you have about the subject. Then read over everything you’ve come up with and consider which idea you think is the strongest. Ask yourself what you want to write about the most. Keep in mind the goal of your essay. Can you achieve the goal of the assignment with this topic? If so, you’re good to go.

WRITE A TOPIC SENTENCE

This is the main idea of your essay, a statement of your thoughts on the subject. Again, consider the goal of your essay. Think of the topic sentence as an introduction that tells your reader what the rest of your essay will be about.

OUTLINE YOUR IDEAS

Once you have a good topic sentence, you then need to support that main idea with more detailed information, facts, thoughts, and examples. These supporting points answer one question about your topic sentence—“Why?” This is where research and perhaps more brainstorming come in. Then organize these points in the way you think makes the most sense, probably in order of importance. Now you have an outline for your essay.

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, WRITE!

Follow your outline, using each of your supporting points as the topic sentence of its own paragraph. Use descriptive words to get your ideas across to the reader. Go into detail, using specific information to tell your story or make your point. Stay on track, making sure that everything you include is somehow related to the main idea of your essay. Use transitions to make your writing flow.

Finish your essay with a conclusion that summarizes your entire essay and 5 restates your main idea.

PROOFREAD AND REVISE

Check for errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Look for ways to make your writing clear, understandable, and interesting. Use descriptive verbs, adjectives, or adverbs when possible. It also helps to have someone else read your work to point out things you might have missed. Then make the necessary corrections and changes in a second draft. Repeat this revision process once more to make your final draft as good as you can.

Download the pdf .

Homework help

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Key Tips On Writing Good Compositions For Primary School

• Primary School Composition Writing

6 Tips On How to Write a Good Composition For Primary School Students

Picture this: your child sits down to write and their ideas effortlessly flow onto the page, characters and plots coming alive right before their eyes. They’re so immersed in writing their story that the world around them seems to fade away!

Isn’t this the writing experience you want for your child?

How do we make this a reality? You’ve likely offered your child the usual advice: “Read more books”, “Write more compositions”, or “Use better phrases”.

But let’s face it—these suggestions are too vague to be truly helpful. It’s time to move beyond generalities and work smarter, not harder. We will give you six proven tips for primary school students that offer concrete techniques to elevate their  composition writing. First, let us understand more about composition writing.

Primary School Compositions

Composition writing is tested in Paper 1 of the English language paper. It requires students to write a narrative essay based on a given theme and at least one of three picture prompts. The length of the essay is 150 words for P5 and P6 students (and lower for P1 to P4 students).

Students are assessed on two components: Content and Language. To score well for the former, students need to demonstrate creative, logical and relevant ideas that align with the topic. Language, on the other hand, focuses on more technical aspects such as grammar, punctuation and spelling. A well-written composition will present clear and coherent ideas expressed in an appropriately creative manner. 

But before you read this post… you might want to download this ebook first.

More than 18,725 parents have downloaded this ebook for their children. A compilation of some of the best compositions from our students.

• Common Test / Exam Compo Topics
• Strong Intros
• Descriptive Scenes
• Impactful Endings
• Powerful Vocabulary

1. Study the theme

Most picture compositions are composed of:

• Introduction
• Conflict / Problem

These four connect with one another to create a singular theme. It gives direction and purpose to the story to make it easy and enjoyable. When bringing out the central idea, it’s important to identify the keywords. For this, advise your child to look at the title.

Determine the Type of Composition

When it comes to the title, there can be three types of compositions :

• Positive (e.g. A Memorable Event, An Achievement)
• Negative (e.g. A Disappointment, A Bad Decision)
• Neutral (e.g. A Competition, A Promise)

Get your child to read the theme carefully and identify the keywords. They could help your child figure out the type of composition they have to write.

A) Positive Composition Type

Positive composition types refer to – as the name suggests – a happy or an uplifting theme. Topics that fall under this umbrella include “A Celebration”, “A Success” and “A Pleasant Surprise” to name a few. Writing these type of composition can seem deceptively easy at first. However, the challenge lies in successfully incorporating a problem element in the story while staying true to the theme.

B) Negative Composition Type

Negative composition types include topics such as ‘Making a Mistake’, ‘Something That Was Damaged’, ‘A Disagreement’ and ‘Being Anxious’. Such compositions feature unfavourable circumstances and detail how the protagonist navigates these challenges. The overemphasis on negative composition types in the past means that students may struggle to come up with fresh takes and instead, stick to overused plot ideas.

C) Neutral Composition Type

Finally, the neutral composition type arguably provides the most room for creativity and nuance. This category encompasses prompts like “Something Unexpected”, “A Long Wait”, “Being Curious” and “An Adventure”. Although this allows for students to come up with novel ideas, care must be taken not to write out of topic.

Encourage them to categorise their compo question as well. This can help because sometimes, children may make the mistake of writing an accident as “A Memorable Event”.

Yeah, no injury is worth remembering, since you probably won’t consider an incident that got you hurt as special.

2. Analyse/choose the pictures for your composition

A very common mistake is that children follow the topic… but they forgot to use any of the three pictures! This can prove fatal to their final marks because if none of the pictures are used, it’s an automatic fail in Content, which comprises half the marks in the picture composition.

There are many possible plots just from one theme. However, always ensure that your child chooses at least one of the pictures and incorporates it into the story. Make sure there is some focus of the object in the story. Otherwise, your child probably won’t score very high in Content.

Of course, your child might have trouble deciding what picture to use. To help your child’s decision, let’s take a look at last year’s PSLE’s Picture Composition as an example.

One thing your child should consider is their current vocab. Ask them, “If you were to select this picture, do you have the necessary words and phrases to effectively describe it?”

For example, some may find it easier to use the first picture and use it as the primary focus of their story, because they might know a variety of words for anger (e.g. furious, livid). Your child should keep this in mind when choosing the picture since it gives them a writing advantage.

Whether you are writing a picture composition for primary 3,4,5 or 6…You may ask, “Should my child always avoid a picture because they don’t have the vocabulary/good phrases for it?”

The answer is: No.

What this means is your child should take this chance to expand their vocabulary, so that they could write for a broader range of topics. Moreover, you never know when the pictures might come up again, albeit for a different theme.

3. Plan the Composition

Ever heard of, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail?” Your child should always plan for their picture compositions. While there is nothing wrong with writing on the fly, it is risky for less experienced writers. They may come face to face with the following problems:

• Sudden transitions: What happened between two sentences remain a mystery. (e.g. I chased the thief. I caught him)
• Change of pronouns: This happens when students decide to write from a third-person perspective and then switch to a first-person halfway, or vice-versa.
• Writing a meaningless introduction: If the composition is about A Bad Decision, your child should not describe trivial things like the weather.
• Lack of closure/weak ending: Your child may find themselves stuck in trying to solve the conflict they came up with or end the story.

Ask your child to pen down any ideas that come into their mind when they brainstorm for the topic.

Get them to lay out the following:

• The characters & the roles they play in the story
• The main problem
• The resolution.

Think of the story as climbing a hill, getting to the top, and coming down it. From there, your child should order the points like this:

Most importantly, make sure the essay is realistic!

Even though you and I wish it was possible, if someone got into a car accident, there is no way a doctor would just put plaster and send them home.

4. How to start the composition

Your child has planned their story, but now the blank page looms before them. Here’s the challenge: how to begin?

The introduction sets the tone, engages the reader and determines whether they’ll keep reading. It’s a chance to make a lasting first impression. Rather than relying on cliched openings like “Ring! Ring! The bell rang” or memorised “model” introductions, your child should aim to hook the reader from the very first sentence.

Let’s explore five effective ways to begin a story with impact. 

A) Start with a Flashback

The flashback technique uses an object or event in the present to trigger a memory, transporting the reader to the past where your main story unfolds.

To craft an effective flashback introduction:

• Set the scene : Establish your main character’s current location and activity.
• Describe the trigger: Use your five senses to describe the object/ event that sparks the memory.
• Show the reaction: Convey your character’s feelings and thoughts towards the trigger.
• Transition to the past: Bridge the gap between present and past with a sentence

Check out this example of a flashback introduction:

The kitchen floor was a mess—utensils, pots and pans, and faded recipe books were scattered everywhere. Tommy sighed. His little sister had once again turned the kitchen into her personal playground! Tommy was cleaning up the mess when he noticed an old photograph peeking out from a stack of recipe cards. It was a picture of five-year-old him in a Superman cape standing proudly next to his grandmother, whose face was creased with laughter. Tommy’s heart skipped a beat, and a nostalgic feeling washed over him as he traced his fingers over his grandmother’s face. He took a deep breath, and for a moment, the smell of his grandmother’s apple pies seemed to fill the room, transporting him right back to her kitchen …

See how we incorporated the four steps to create the flashback intro? Do remind your child to “snap” back to the present in the conclusion to provide closure to the story.

B) Start with Dialogue

Starting a composition with dialogue is a simple way to immediately draw the reader into the scene. This technique is  suitable for any topic and accessible to writers of all skill levels.

To use this technique effectively, your child should pay attention to not only the words spoken, but also the dialogue tags used. These tags are crucial—they reflect the emotion with which the words are spoken and, therefore, provide additional context.

For example, for the PSLE question “A Long Wait”, your child may start with a line like this:

“I’ve been waiting for ages!” Caleb grumbled, drumming his fingers on the sticky restaurant table. The buzz of the crowded restaurant only added to his frustration as he watched the waiter pass by yet again without a glance.

The dialogue tag “grumbled” clearly conveys the speaker’s frustration while the action drumming his fingers on the table suggests a sense of growing impatience.

However, not all dialogue openings are equally effective. Consider this weak example:

“We’re here!” I said as we arrived at the park.

Avoid vague or mundane statements that don’t add value to the story. Instead, try:

“I can’t believe we’re finally at Disneyland!” I squealed, my eyes widening at the sight of the iconic castle.

The stronger version clearly shows the character’s excitement, introduces the specific setting, and creates a vivid image in the reader’s mind.

As you can see, starting with dialogue is a great way to introduce your protagonist but that isn’t the only way…

C) Start with Character Thought

Character thoughts can be useful compo openers too.

Picture this: your character is in a situation where they can’t speak their mind. Maybe they’re in a quiet library, or perhaps expressing themselves would be just too risky. That’s where internal dialogue or thoughts come in; they have the same punch but with an extra dash of intimacy!

Let’s see this technique in action:

“This is it. After months of gruelling rehearsals, I’m finally here. I must not mess this up,” I told myself, plastering on a confident smile as I strode onto the stage.

In addition to setting the context, this opening captures the performer’s inner turmoil while showing their outward confidence . It is this contrast between the internal and external states that makes thought-based openings so powerful.

Let’s try another one:

If I don’t pass this exam, my parents will kill me, I thought as Mr. Lee returned the exam scripts. 

This thought immediately establishes the high-stakes situation. It’s more effective than dialogue because it reveals a fear the character likely wouldn’t voice aloud in a classroom setting.

Vector 3d realistic illustration of open movie clapperboard or clapper isolated on background. Black cinema slate board, device used in filmmaking and video production. Film industry equipment

D) Start with Action

Lights, camera, action!

Start with Action means starting with a scene in the climax or nearing the climax of the story. This plunges the reader directly into excitement and action, which keeps them on the edge of their seats from. the very first sentence! This technique is particularly effective for compositions with a negative theme such as “An Accident” or “A Close Shave, which tend to be action-packed and fast-paced.

Let’s dive into an example:

The icy wind lashed at my face as I desperately clung to the edge of the cliff. “Hold on!” Jake shouted, straining to reach my outstretched hand. Below, the angry waves crashed against razor-sharp rocks. Is this my end? I wondered, panic rising as my grip weakened by the second.

Talk about a cliffhanger! Did you feel the excitement? Let’s break it down:

• Immediate conflict: From the very first sentence, we know the character is in danger, creating instant suspense. (Note that emotional confrontations can be equally tension-filled!)
• Powerful verbs: Words like “lashed” and “crashed” ramp up the danger.
• Curiosity hook: Why are they on a cliff? Who’s Jake? What happens next?

After your gripping opener, you can transition to earlier events to provide context:

It all started two hours ago when…

Execution is key when it comes to this technique; you need to balance excitement with clarity. After all, you want your readers intrigued, not confused!

E) Start with Vivid Description

While action-packed openings are great for high-intensity stories, sometimes a more nuanced approach is needed. Starting with a vivid description works for slower-paced narratives, character-driven or rely heavily on setting.

Let’s explore how to write vivid descriptions for both characters and settings .

• Character-based Intro

Consider a composition on “Being Responsible” that must feature a hardworking character. Instead of directly stating their qualities, it’s more engaging to show them through description.

Here’s an example of a character who begins as irresponsible:

Jia Min slouched in her chair, further rumpling her wrinkled uniform. Her half-open eyes struggled to focus on the whiteboard. When will this torture end? As the teacher’s voice droned on, a soft snore escaped her slightly parted lips. Her best friend’s sharp elbow jabbed her ribs, eyes darting meaningfully towards Jia Min’s blank worksheet. Jia Min stifled a yawn, picked up her untouched pen and promptly began doodling.

This description not only captures Jia Min’s current lack of responsibility but also sets the stage for potential growth and change.

How to execute this technique well? For character-based introductions, focus on:

• Appearance : Describe physical features relevant to the story’s theme (e.g., the wrinkled uniform suggests irresponsibility).
• Behaviour and actions : Show the character’s nature through what they do (e.g., sleeping in class, doodling instead of taking notes).
• Thoughts and feelings : Provide insight into the character’s mind (e.g., Jia Min’s referring to class as torture).

This introduction shows an irresponsible character without explicitly stating it. It intrigues the reader: How will such a character become responsible by the end? The contrast sets up an interesting character arc.

• Setting-based Intro

Using vivid descriptions of a setting in the introduction can be equally effective. Even “boring” settings like parks can come to life if done right.

Check out this example:

I inhaled deeply, savouring the earthy scent of rain that lingered from an earlier downpour. The roots of a gnarly, old tree broke through the cracked path and created a natural speed bump for me during my daily evening jog. Rustle! A squirrel hurriedly scampered to a nearby tree as a group of animated aunties power-walked past me. Just then, a cool gust of wind caressed my face. Invigorated, I decided to extend my usual jog by one more lap.

This vivid description of a routine jog in the park immediately draws us into the scene, don’t you think?

To write an effective setting-based introduction, your child should focus on:

• Five senses: Engage about 2 to 3 of the five senses (Can you identify which senses we used here?)
• Details. Details.: Pay attention to specific details which make the scene “real” and not just another cookie-cutter park scene.
• Character: How does the character interact with their environment? What are their feelings, actions, and thoughts?

Each of these techniques offers a unique way to start a composition. The key is to choose the method that best suits the story and theme. A strong opening gives a good first impression, so remind your child to spend some time on crafting the intro.

Now, let’s move on to the meat of the story, where the excitement truly begins.

5. Writing the Body

Hoo, boy. This will be a long ride, so fasten your seatbelts.

The most essential part of the compo is the body, because that is where most of the action is. When it comes to the body, there are three parts to consider:

A) Rising Action (Events before the conflict)

Most of the stories you and your child might have read would always include some problem that the protagonist has to face. Without it, there would be no story, and the plot can be dry. The same goes for any picture composition.

One of the mistakes students make is to state the problem right after the introduction. This runs the risk of an underdeveloped story, which can affect their Content marks. Your child needs to learn how to write the events preceding the main problem, then describe the conflict. This is better known as the rising action.

For example, your child can describe what the character(s) did or did not do that may have caused the problem they would face as the rising action.

It does not have to be long, but it must build up the story’s tension, which would lead to the climax.

​B) Climax (The main problem)

This is where the peak of the story occurs, and the turning point happens. Your child should aim to show as much action and the characters’ emotions as possible. Depending on the topic, your child may need to write one of these types of conflict:

• Internal conflict: A moral dilemma (e.g. Your best friend stole a wallet. Should you tell the teacher, or keep it to yourself?)
• External conflict (Man-made) : (e.g. a bully)
• External conflict (Natural): (e.g. a fire)

C) Resolution (Falling action)

The third part of the composition’s body is the resolution, or how the main character solves the problem. This is better known as the falling action. Unfortunately, many students would rush through by writing one or two sentences due to lacking time or ideas. This comes at the cost of a sudden transition.   

A thing to note is that most resolutions, primary school kids write would involve a figure of authority to solve the conflict for them. After all, in real life, most kids would turn to the adults, such as you or their teachers, to solve the problems.

If the story involves thieves, it would always have policemen included. In the case of a fire, no doubt there would be firemen. Rarely, the main character would solve the problem themselves.

It is true that some types of compositions(e.g. A Crime You Were Involved In) would leave them little choice but to involve the adults. If that happens, your child should describe the character’s attempts to do something about the problem before help arrives.

For a better resolution, your child should ask themselves two questions:

• What could the protagonist do to solve the conflict?
• How did he/she feel when they attempted to handle the problem?

6. Writing the conclusion

Once the resolution is done, remind your child to wrap up with an ending. That is where your child is supposed to tie up the loose ends and close the story. It is essential to give the readers an ending they are satisfied with, and not keep them in suspense.

What your child can write in the conclusion:

• Character’s reflections and thoughts about the story’s events
• Their feelings over what happened
• Their concluding actions or decisions of future actions.

Regardless, it’s advised for your child to always link the ending back to the theme or topic they are writing about.

It may sound like a lot to take in, but it’s possible for your child to learn how to write a good primary school composition. Writing is like any other skill; there are no shortcuts.

Once your child masters the six tips, all your child needs is time and practice. Remember, it’s not about the speed of their progress but their persistence and joy in the journey. If they just keep writing, every page will bring them one step closer to becoming a masterful storyteller.

See more related articles on Writing Samurai:

• Common PSLE Composition Topics – How to Handle Them?
• PSLE English Composition – Marking Scheme with Pictures!
• Example Model Compositions Primary School Students
• Picture Compositions for Primary School Students

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Using Creative Words and Phrases for Composition Writing & Essays

50 idioms your child can use for composition writing.

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Essay Writing Topics for Children

A comprehensive list of simple essay writing topics and ideas for kids.

Essays are literary works written in prose, which present an argument or an opinion. Essay writing is a way to express one’s opinion on a topic. It can be about anything, but essays for kids should relate to the topics they learn in class. English essay writing is the process of creating a literary piece that presents an idea, argument or point of view. Typically, this type of work takes time and effort to develop fully. Children must first understand the nature of the essay and plan their writing accordingly. Also, essay writing is a fulfilling task. Writing on a topic and producing a high-quality essay is not easy, but it is worth the effort. Help kids improve their writing and vocabulary by providing various essay topics in English.

Also, refer to the vocabulary worksheets .

List of 100+ Essay Writing Topics

Essays are an excellent way for kids to practise writing skills and learn about different topics. They can focus on a wide range of topics like the environment, animals and birds, technology, proverbs, etc. Essay writing helps children enhance their critical thinking abilities and express their opinions creatively. English essays also help them identify their strengths and weaknesses in the language. This helps them to improve themselves and overcome writing challenges. Below is a list of essay writing topics for kids, which are helpful in improving their language and writing skills.

Essay Topics on Nature and Environment

• Value of Trees Essay
• Planting Trees Essay
• Essay on Banyan Tree
• Apple Tree Essay
• Save Environment Essay
• Trees Our Best Friend Essay
• Causes of Environmental Pollution Essay
• Environmental Pollution Essay
• Population Explosion Essay

Essay Topics on Animals and Birds

• Essay on Dog
• Essay on Elephant

Essay Topics on Technology

• Essay on Mobile Phone
• Social Media Essay

Essay Topics on Proverbs

• A Stitch in Time Saves Nine Essay
• Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover Essay

Essay Topics on Yourself

• School Life Essay

How to Write an Essay?

Little ones might find essay writing quite a challenging task. However, to write a good English essay, one has to spend time researching. Here are some simple steps on how to write good essays for kids.

• Start with a brainstorm of ideas.
• The following step would be to learn how the different parts of the essay should be structured.
• Next, collect notes and other writing materials to outline the main points.
• Then, create a rough draft related to what you want to convey in the paragraphs.
• Edit it by removing unnecessary words and phrases.
• Finally, read it over for any potential inconsistencies and rectify them, if you find any.

Frequently Asked Questions on Essay

What is an essay.

Essays are literary works written in prose, which present an argument or an opinion. Essay writing is a way to express one’s opinion on a topic. It can be about anything.

How to write an essay?

Start with a brainstorming of ideas. Learn how the different parts of the essay should be structured. Next, collect the notes and other writing materials to outline the main points. Then, create a rough draft by writing out what you want to say in the paragraphs. Edit it by taking out unnecessary words and phrases. Read it over for any potential inconsistencies before turning in your piece.

What are some nature and environment essay topics for kids?

Nature and environment essay topics for kids include essays on a tree for Class 1, the save environment essay, the causes of environmental pollution essay, the population explosion essay, etc.

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130 Interesting Persuasive Essay Topics for Kids and Teens

Use your words to sway the reader.

Persuasive writing is one of those skills that can help students succeed in real life. Learn the basics of this valuable skill, then use our big roundup of persuasive essay topics for practice.

What is persuasive writing?

In a persuasive essay, the writer uses a combination of facts and emotion to sway a reader to adopt their own point of view or take a specific action. Here are the general steps to writing persuasively:

• State your position: Clearly and succinctly, state your desired opinion or outcome up front. This could be the point of view you want the reader to adopt (“Pineapple has no place on a pizza.”) or the action you want them to take (“All adults should educate themselves and vote in every election.”).
• Provide evidence and support: Use facts to support your point of view, citing sources whenever you can. Explain how those facts back up your position, using logic and reason.
• Anticipate counterarguments: It’s important to know your audience so you can anticipate any counterarguments they might make and try to overcome them.
• Use emotional appeals: Persuasive essays are similar to argumentative essays, but they incorporate more emotion rather than sticking to facts and logic. For instance, you might try to anger, scare, or create a sense of pride in your reader so they’ll be more likely to agree with you.
• Make a call to action: Finish strong with the specific action you’d like the reader to take, whether it’s voting responsibly or never putting pineapple on a pizza again.

Help students understand what strong persuasive writing looks like by exploring well-known examples of persuasive essays, speeches, ads, and more . Then, use the topics here to give them practice writing persuasively on their own.

School and Education Persuasive Essay Topics

Life and ethics persuasive essay topics, science and technology persuasive essay topics, sports and entertainment persuasive essay topics, just for fun persuasive essay topics.

• Do you think homework should be required, optional, or not given at all?
• Students should/should not be able to use their phones during the school day.
• Should schools have dress codes?
• All students should wear school uniforms.
• If I could change one school rule, it would be …
• Is year-round school a good idea?
• Should we stop giving final exams?
• Is it better to be good at academics or good at sports?

• Which is better, private schools or public schools?
• Should every student have to participate in athletics?
• Should schools teach life skills like financial responsibility?
• Does your school handle bullying well?
• Do you think schools should ban junk food from their cafeterias?
• Should students be required to volunteer in their communities?
• What is the most important school subject?
• Are letter grades helpful, or should we replace them with something else?

• Is it ever OK to cheat on homework or a test?
• What are the ideal starting and ending hours for a school day?
• Should students get to grade their teachers?
• Do you think college should be free for anyone who wants to attend?
• Should schools be allowed to ban some books from their libraries?
• Which is better, book smarts or street smarts?
• Is attending college worth the time and effort?

• Should all students have to learn a foreign language?
• Are single-gender schools better or worse for students?
• Schools should reduce or eliminate standardized testing.
• Is it OK to eat animals?
• What animal makes the best pet?
• Visit an animal shelter, choose an animal that needs a home, and write an essay persuading someone to adopt that animal.
• Why is it important to vote?
• Wealthy people should pay a higher tax rate.
• If you find money on the ground, should you try to find the person who lost it, or is it yours to keep?

• Who faces more peer pressure, girls or boys?
• Should all Americans be required to vote?
• Is it better to be kind or truthful?
• Which is better, giving or receiving?
• Should free speech have any limitations?
• Is it OK to keep animals in zoos?
• Should we change the minimum driving age in the United States?

• Which is more important, happiness or success?
• Is democracy the best form of government?
• Is social media helpful or harmful?
• Should parents be punished for their children’s mistakes or crimes?
• Should kids have set bedtimes or just go to bed when they’re sleepy?
• Do you think the government should find a way to provide free universal health care for everyone?

• Is it better to save your allowance or spend it?
• Is capital punishment ever ethical or justified?
• Should we ban plastic bags and bottles?
• Which is better, living in the city or in the country?
• Immigration benefits the United States.
• A border wall between Mexico and the United States is essential for reducing crime rates.
• Should the United States have stronger gun regulations?
• If I could make a new law, it would be …
• Is Pluto a planet?
• Should human cloning be legal?
• Should vaccines be mandatory?
• Do the risks of nuclear power outweigh the risks?
• Is it right for countries to still maintain nuclear weapon arsenals?

• Should testing on animals be made illegal?
• Will expanded use of artificial intelligence be good for humanity?
• Should all people have free internet access in their homes?
• Is there intelligent life on other planets?
• Does technology create more jobs than it eliminates?
• Should parents use their children’s cell phones to track where they are?
• Should scientists try to develop a way for people to live forever?

• What’s the best type of smartphone: Android or iPhone?
• Which is better, Macs or PCs?
• Do people rely too much on technology in the modern world?
• Should cryptocurrencies replace cash?
• Should there be a minimum age requirement to own a smartphone?
• All people have a responsibility to help combat climate change.
• Is it important to keep spending money on space exploration, or should we use the money for other things?

• Should kids under 13 be allowed to use social media sites?
• Should we ban cigarette smoking and vaping entirely?
• Is it better to be an animal that lives in the water or on land?
• Are humans responsible for an increase in climate change?
• Should all communities be legally required to recycle?
• Should kids be allowed to watch TV on school nights?
• Which is better, paper books or e-books?
• Is the current movie rating system (G, PG, PG-13, etc.) effective?
• Are video games better than board games?
• Sports teams should have to pay to build their own arenas or stadiums rather than relying on the community.
• Movie theater tickets are too expensive.
• Should we allow little kids to play competitive sports?

• Youth sports have become too competitive.
• Which is better, reading books or watching TV?
• Are celebrities obligated to be positive role models for their fans?
• Does playing violent video games make people more violent in real life?
• Video games need more inclusive and diverse characters.
• Are graphic novels just as valuable as traditional fiction books?
• Women’s sports deserve equal funding and coverage as men’s sports.
• Should everyone play on the same sports teams, regardless of gender?
• Choose a book that’s been made into a movie. Which was better, the movie or the book?

• Who is the world’s best athlete, present or past?
• Are professional athletes/musicians/actors overpaid?
• Is hosting the Olympics a waste of a country’s money and resources?
• College athletes should be allowed to accept a salary for playing.
• Which is better, fiction or nonfiction?
• The best music genre is …
• What is one book that everyone should read?
• What new sport should be added to the Olympics?

• What’s the best video game system?
• Does playing video games make you smarter?
• Should high school athletes be required to maintain a minimum GPA to continue playing?
• Contact sports like boxing and football are too dangerous.
• Does reality TV actually depict real life?
• Should all neighborhoods have free parks and playgrounds?
• Are awards like the Grammys and Oscars biased and in need of reform?
• What’s the best holiday?
• The very best food of all time is …
• Which make better pets, dogs or cats?
• Which is better, artificial Christmas trees or real ones?

• What’s the best season of the year?
• Should you put ketchup on a hot dog?
• Is a taco a sandwich?
• Does fruit count as dessert?
• Everyone should eat dessert first.
• Should people have to go to school or work on their birthday?
• Are clowns scary or funny?
• Which is more dangerous, werewolves or vampires?

• The best pizza topping is …
• What would be the best superpower to have?
• Should everyone make their bed every day?
• Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
• Should you put pineapple on a pizza?
• Should you eat macaroni and cheese with a spoon or a fork?

• Describe the world’s best ice cream sundae.
• Is Monday the worst day of the week?
• Would you rather travel back in time or forward in time?
• Is it better to be too hot or too cold?
• Are there aliens living among us here on Earth?

What are your favorite persuasive essay topics for students? Come exchange ideas in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out the big list of essay topics for high school ., you might also like.

The Big List of Essay Topics for High School (150+ Ideas!)

Ideas to inspire every young writer. Continue Reading

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Writing Prompts for Elementary School Students

Tim Platt/Getty Images

• M.S., Education, Buffalo State College
• B.S., Education, Buffalo State College

Writing is an essential skill and an important part of elementary school studies. However, writing inspiration does not come easily to every student. Like adults, many children experience writer's block , particularly when an assignment is extremely open-ended.

Good writing prompts get students' creative juices flowing , help them write more freely, and ease any anxiety they may feel about the writing process. To integrate writing prompts into your lessons, ask students to choose one writing prompt each day or week. To make the activity more challenging, encourage them to write without stopping for at least five minutes, increasing the number of minutes that they devote to writing over time.

Remind your students that there is no wrong way to respond to the prompts and that they should simply have fun and let their creative minds wander. After all, just as athletes need to warm up their muscles, writers need to warm up their minds.

Elementary School Writing Prompts

• My biggest goal in life is...
• The best book I ever read was...
• The happiest moment in my life was when...
• When I grow up, I want to...
• The most interesting place I have ever been to was...
• Name three things you don't like about school and why.
• The strangest dream I ever had was...
• The person I admire most is...
• When I turn 16, I will...
• Who is the funniest member of your family and why?
• I get scared when...
• Five things I would do if I had more money are...
• What is your favorite sport and why?
• What would you do if you could change the world?
• Dear teacher, I would like to know...
• Dear President Washington, what was it like to be the first president?
• My happiest day was...
• My saddest day was...
• If I had three wishes, I would wish for...
• Describe your best friend, how you met, and why you are friends.
• Describe your favorite animal and why.
• Three things I like to do with my pet elephant are...
• The time a bat was in my house...
• When I become an adult, the first thing I want to do is...
• My best vacation was when I went to...
• The top three reasons that people argue are...
• Describe five reasons that going to school is important.
• What is your favorite television show and why?
• The time I found a dinosaur in my backyard...
• Describe the best present you ever received.
• Describe your most unusual talent.
• My most embarrassing moment was when...
• Describe your favorite food and why.
• Describe your least favorite food and why.
• The top three qualities of a best friend are...
• Write about what you would cook for an enemy.
• Use these words in a story: scared, angry, Sunday, bugs.
• What's your idea of a perfect vacation?
• Write about why someone might be afraid of snakes.
• List five rules that you have broken and why you broke them.
• What is your favorite video game and why?
• I wish someone had told me that...
• Describe the hottest day you can remember.
• Write about the best decision you've ever made.
• I opened the door, saw a clown, and then...
• The last time the power went out, I...
• Write about five things you can do if the power goes out.
• If I were president, I would...
• Create a poem using the words: l o ve, happy, smart, sunny.
• The time my teacher forgot to wear shoes...
• For prompts that ask students to write about a person, encourage them to write two responses—one response about a friend or family member, and another about someone they don't know personally. This exercise encourages children to think outside the box.
• Remind students that their responses can be fantastical. When the confines of realism are eliminated, students are free to think more creatively, which often inspires greater engagement in the project.

If you're looking for more writing ideas, try our lists of journal prompts  or ideas for writing about important people in history like Martin Luther King Jr .

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50 English Essay Creative Writing Topics for Kids in Middle School

Wondering which topic to pick up for your next essay? Essay writing is nowadays an essential task given to students of all grades. No matter how daunting it may appear to you essay writing allows students to build up a disciplined, logical and rational communication approach towards a topic. Before picking up an ideal essay topic, it is important for you to understand the characteristics of the essay.

What are Essays?

An essay is a formal piece of writing that may describe, analyze, argue, or present a writer’s opinion on a particular topic. An essay has three parts –

Introduction – It presents the essay topic to the readers. The last sentence of the essay is generally the thesis statement that states the writer’s perspective about the topic.

Body Paragraph(s) – There are generally one or more body paragraphs written in an essay which explain the topic introduced earlier in the introductory paragraph. The writer can provide examples, facts, and evidence to prove their points.

Conclusion – It presents a short summarized version of the essay and concludes what the writer expressed in the essay. A conclusion includes something for the readers that they may take up from the essay.

We understand writing essays could be an overwhelming task. Learn how to fight with procrastination  and develop time management skills here!

Types of Essays

An essay can be categorized differently based on its purpose, whether a writer wants to present their opinion, an argument, an explanation or convince the readers. No matter what type of essay you write you must be aware of the topic and to gain that knowledge you must research well. English essays for students are generally of four types –

Narrative Essays – These types of essays follow the concept of storytelling. As the name suggests, the writer narrates their experience in a narrative essay. There can be a number of fun essay topics in this category where you can explain bizarre incidents happened with you.

Descriptive Essays – These types of essays are explanatory in nature. They describe a place, object or any other concept. It is just like painting a picture – including the details and giving complete information about the topic to the readers.

Persuasive Essays – If you are a beginner in essay writing choose a simple essay topic for kids and follow the above-stated format for writing the essay. These types of essays are written to convince the readers about a particular idea or opinion of the writer. The writer needs to present a logical approach and support their arguments with facts and evidence.

Expository Essays – These essays provide a rational analysis of a topic. These essays can be argumentative, comparison-based or problem-solution based. The writer needs to include facts and evidence to support their arguments here. They do not involve the personal opinions of the writer but theories and facts.

Learn to write leave applications & personal letters here !

English Essay Topics for Kids

Do you know how important it is to choose an interesting essay topic? It can straightway put a good first impression on your teacher as they assess your essay. Moreover, it will be much easier for a student to prepare an essay if they topic intriguing for them. It’s time to end your search for Essay writing topics in English as we have brought you 50 best essay writing topics.

Our essay writers have brainstormed to come up with topics of English Essays for students and children that are not only informative but engaging.

• Should there be Wi-Fi at every public place?
• EBooks are better than Traditional Paperback Books
• My last Summer Vacation
• Internet usage should be limited
• Eating animals and birds is Immoral
• Christmas Eve with Family and Friends
• Global Warming is a Threat to Mother Earth
• How can You be a Better Friend
• Importance of a Value-Based Life
• It is Good to be Bilingual
• The Best Reality TV Show
• Why learning History is Important
• Can Clothes Define a Person’s Character
• Eating Healthy
• Music My Parent Like
• My Favorite City
• Helping Family at Home
• A View I Would Never Forget
• The Scene of a Bus Stop
• Video Games make you Smart
• Hobbies are Important for Everyone
• My Favorite Animal
• How Technology Has Affected Us
• Harmful Effects of Smoking
• How are We Affecting the Environment
• Why Kids Love Chocolate
• Visiting Zoo for the First Time
• Growth of Plants
• How Rainfall Occurs
• The Dessert I Like the Most
• Making New Friends at School
• Spring is the Season of Life
• A Noisy Evening
• Clubhouse of My Society
• School Picnic to A Village
• How Grandparents Play a Major Role in Child’s Growth
• A Funny Incident that Happened with Me
• Benefits of Morning Walk
• Value of Rivers
• A Fair at the Village
• New Year Eve With Friends
• Why Should Kids Learn Gardening
• Homework is Important
• Visit a Dentist
• Why Hiccups Occur
• A Machine I would like to Invent
• If I were an Entrepreneur
• My Favorite Job
• How To Help Animals
• Learning From The Globe

Are you ready to begin with your essay? Pick up a topic that interests you the most and begins writing. All you need to do is a little research and give way to your creativity. Do not forget to maintain the format of essay writing. Make sure you write an eye-catching introduction and effective conclusion and we are sure that your teacher will assign you better grades.

If you’re having trouble with English or Math Subjects and you’re looking for an instant grades improvement. Then, find English tutors online  and online math tutors at CrunchGrade . To see how it works,

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Model Composition – A Quarrel

• Tuesday, Aug 21st, 2018
• By: BIG IDEAZ
• Students' Writing

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Here is another piece of English model composition written by one of our Primary 4  Writing Academy students.  To make their compositions more interesting, our students are taught and encouraged to use vivid verbs and a variety of sentence beginnings in their compositions.

It was a sunny Saturday morning.  Mary skipped happily to the bus stop as she had to take a bus to the tuition centre.  She was looking forward to her lesson.

While Mary was waiting for the bus, a steady stream of people came to the bus stop.  Among them was Mr Ang, her neighbour.  Mary happily greeted him.  Just then, a big, burly man came to the bus stop.  The man had tattoos on his arms.  His hair was messy and his shirt looked too small for him.  He also walked with a swagger.  Nonchalantly, he took out a packet of cigarette, lit one up and started smoking.  Before long, the bus stop was polluted with smoke.  Mary felt angry as the man was not supposed to smoke at the bus stop.  The people at the bus stop were annoyed with him and covered their noses.  Some of them were complaining to one another.  Mr Ang then went up to the man and said, “Excuse me, you are not supposed to smoke here.”  Without any sense of remorse, the man replied, “It is none of your business! I can smoke wherever I want to!”  Mr Ang was horrified when he heard that.

The big, burly man and Mr Ang then started quarrelling with each other.  They had a heated exchange of words.  “You’re an inconsiderate man!” Mr Ang bellowed.  “Who cares?” the man snapped back.  “Stop it!” Mr Ang shouted.  “No!” the man retorted.  The people at the bus stop were frustrated.  Mary felt anxious.  She was worried that Mr Ang would be hurt.  Eventually, they became more aggressive and started pushing each other.  The crowd at the bus stop only watched but did not do anything to stop the two men.

Mary decided to step in and asked the man not to quarrel with Mr Ang.  The man did not listen as her words went in one ear and out the other.  Mary then shouted at the top of her voice.  Shocked, the man stopped.  Mary told the man that he should not smoke at the bus stop.  She pointed to the ‘No Smoking’ sign.  She also warned him that she would call the police if he did not stop.  Everyone at the bus stop glared silently at the inconsiderate man.  Seeing that he was at the losing end, the man put out his cigarette and walked away, grumbling.  Mr Ang thanked Mary for stopping the man from smoking.

When Mary was on the bus to the tuition centre, she thought about what had just happened.  She was relieved that the quarrel did not turn ugly and the problem was resolved.  It was an unforgettable day for Mary.

~ by Abel Lee (Primary 4)

Click here to read more model compositions written by our students .

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• Example of a great essay | Explanations, tips & tricks

Example of a Great Essay | Explanations, Tips & Tricks

Published on February 9, 2015 by Shane Bryson . Revised on July 23, 2023 by Shona McCombes.

This example guides you through the structure of an essay. It shows how to build an effective introduction , focused paragraphs , clear transitions between ideas, and a strong conclusion .

Each paragraph addresses a single central point, introduced by a topic sentence , and each point is directly related to the thesis statement .

As you read, hover over the highlighted parts to learn what they do and why they work.

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Table of contents

Other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about writing an essay, an appeal to the senses: the development of the braille system in nineteenth-century france.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

In France, debates about how to deal with disability led to the adoption of different strategies over time. While people with temporary difficulties were able to access public welfare, the most common response to people with long-term disabilities, such as hearing or vision loss, was to group them together in institutions (Tombs, 1996). At first, a joint institute for the blind and deaf was created, and although the partnership was motivated more by financial considerations than by the well-being of the residents, the institute aimed to help people develop skills valuable to society (Weygand, 2009). Eventually blind institutions were separated from deaf institutions, and the focus shifted towards education of the blind, as was the case for the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, which Louis Braille attended (Jimenez et al, 2009). The growing acknowledgement of the uniqueness of different disabilities led to more targeted education strategies, fostering an environment in which the benefits of a specifically blind education could be more widely recognized.

Several different systems of tactile reading can be seen as forerunners to the method Louis Braille developed, but these systems were all developed based on the sighted system. The Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris taught the students to read embossed roman letters, a method created by the school’s founder, Valentin Hauy (Jimenez et al., 2009). Reading this way proved to be a rather arduous task, as the letters were difficult to distinguish by touch. The embossed letter method was based on the reading system of sighted people, with minimal adaptation for those with vision loss. As a result, this method did not gain significant success among blind students.

Louis Braille was bound to be influenced by his school’s founder, but the most influential pre-Braille tactile reading system was Charles Barbier’s night writing. A soldier in Napoleon’s army, Barbier developed a system in 1819 that used 12 dots with a five line musical staff (Kersten, 1997). His intention was to develop a system that would allow the military to communicate at night without the need for light (Herron, 2009). The code developed by Barbier was phonetic (Jimenez et al., 2009); in other words, the code was designed for sighted people and was based on the sounds of words, not on an actual alphabet. Barbier discovered that variants of raised dots within a square were the easiest method of reading by touch (Jimenez et al., 2009). This system proved effective for the transmission of short messages between military personnel, but the symbols were too large for the fingertip, greatly reducing the speed at which a message could be read (Herron, 2009). For this reason, it was unsuitable for daily use and was not widely adopted in the blind community.

Nevertheless, Barbier’s military dot system was more efficient than Hauy’s embossed letters, and it provided the framework within which Louis Braille developed his method. Barbier’s system, with its dashes and dots, could form over 4000 combinations (Jimenez et al., 2009). Compared to the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet, this was an absurdly high number. Braille kept the raised dot form, but developed a more manageable system that would reflect the sighted alphabet. He replaced Barbier’s dashes and dots with just six dots in a rectangular configuration (Jimenez et al., 2009). The result was that the blind population in France had a tactile reading system using dots (like Barbier’s) that was based on the structure of the sighted alphabet (like Hauy’s); crucially, this system was the first developed specifically for the purposes of the blind.

While the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption throughout France. This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources. Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted learning Braille’s system because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009). This resistance was symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to adapt to the sighted world rather than develop their own tools and methods. Over time, however, with the increasing impetus to make social contribution possible for all, teachers began to appreciate the usefulness of Braille’s system (Bullock & Galst, 2009), realizing that access to reading could help improve the productivity and integration of people with vision loss. It took approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the Braille system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

Although Blind people remained marginalized throughout the nineteenth century, the Braille system granted them growing opportunities for social participation. Most obviously, Braille allowed people with vision loss to read the same alphabet used by sighted people (Bullock & Galst, 2009), allowing them to participate in certain cultural experiences previously unavailable to them. Written works, such as books and poetry, had previously been inaccessible to the blind population without the aid of a reader, limiting their autonomy. As books began to be distributed in Braille, this barrier was reduced, enabling people with vision loss to access information autonomously. The closing of the gap between the abilities of blind and the sighted contributed to a gradual shift in blind people’s status, lessening the cultural perception of the blind as essentially different and facilitating greater social integration.

The Braille system also had important cultural effects beyond the sphere of written culture. Its invention later led to the development of a music notation system for the blind, although Louis Braille did not develop this system himself (Jimenez, et al., 2009). This development helped remove a cultural obstacle that had been introduced by the popularization of written musical notation in the early 1500s. While music had previously been an arena in which the blind could participate on equal footing, the transition from memory-based performance to notation-based performance meant that blind musicians were no longer able to compete with sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997). As a result, a tactile musical notation system became necessary for professional equality between blind and sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997).

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

Bullock, J. D., & Galst, J. M. (2009). The Story of Louis Braille. Archives of Ophthalmology , 127(11), 1532. https://​doi.org/10.1001/​archophthalmol.2009.286.

Herron, M. (2009, May 6). Blind visionary. Retrieved from https://​eandt.theiet.org/​content/​articles/2009/05/​blind-visionary/.

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Weygand, Z. (2009). The blind in French society from the Middle Ages to the century of Louis Braille . Stanford: Stanford University Press.

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• Published: 27 September 2024

Evaluating the role of ChatGPT in enhancing EFL writing assessments in classroom settings: A preliminary investigation

• Junfei Li 1   na1 ,
• Jinyan Huang 2 , 3   na1 ,
• Wenyan Wu 4   na1 &
• Patrick B. Whipple 5  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  11 , Article number:  1268 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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• Language and linguistics

Using generalizability (G-) theory and qualitative feedback analysis, this study evaluated the role of ChatGPT in enhancing English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) writing assessments in classroom settings. The primary objectives were to assess the reliability of the holistic scores assigned to EFL essays by ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4 compared to college English teachers and to evaluate the relevance of the qualitative feedback provided by these versions of ChatGPT. The study analyzed 30 College English Test Band 4 (CET-4) essays written by non-English majors at a university in Beijing, China. ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4, along with four college English teachers, served as raters. They scored the essays holistically following the CET-4 scoring rubric and also provided qualitative feedback on the language, content, and organization of these essays. The G-theory analysis revealed that the scoring reliability of ChatGPT3.5 was consistently lower than that of the teacher raters; however, ChatGPT4 demonstrated consistently higher reliability coefficients than the teachers. The qualitative feedback analysis indicated that both ChatGPT3.5 and 4 consistently provided more relevant feedback on the EFL essays than the teacher raters. Furthermore, ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4 were equally relevant across the language, content, and organization aspects of the essays, whereas the teacher raters generally focused more on language but provided less relevant feedback on content and organization. Consequently, ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4 could be useful AI tools for enhancing EFL writing assessments in classroom settings. The implications of adopting ChatGPT for classroom writing assessments are discussed.

Introduction

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into educational settings has revolutionized teaching, learning, and assessment experiences (Guo & Wang, 2023; Link et al., 2022 ; Shermis & Hamner, 2013 ; Su et al., 2023 ). AI’s role in enhancing language education is increasingly recognized, especially in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) education where it introduces novel approaches to teaching, learning, and assessment (Ansari et al., 2023 ; Barrot, 2023 ; Farazouli et al., 2023 ; Guo et al., 2022 ). Among these AI tools, ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI, has gained significant attention for its potential in the domain of EFL writing assessments (Kasneci et al., 2023 ; Lu et al., 2024 ; Praphan & Praphan, 2023 ; Song & Song, 2023 ; Su et al., 2023 ).

Assessing EFL students’ English writing tasks is inherently complex and time-consuming, demanding substantial expertise and resources (Huang, 2012 ; Huang & Foote, 2010 ; Liu & Huang, 2020 ; Zhao & Huang, 2020 ). EFL educators and researchers continually seek innovative solutions to streamline the assessment process while upholding the integrity and quality of educational outcomes (Lu et al., 2024 ; Song & Song, 2023 ; Zhang et al., 2023a , 2023b ). Recent studies have highlighted the capabilities of AI tools like ChatGPT in EFL writing classroom assessments, showcasing their potential to automate assessment processes, provide instant feedback, and personalize learning experiences (Lu et al., 2024 ; Su et al., 2023 ; Yan, 2023 ; Zou & Huang, 2023a , 2023b ). For example, Su et al. ( 2023 ) demonstrated ChatGPT’s ability to assist EFL students with outlining, revising, editing, and proofreading tasks in argumentative writing contexts. Similarly, Lu et al. ( 2024 ) reported that ChatGPT effectively complements teacher assessments of undergraduate EFL students’ academic writing tasks.

Despite these advancements, a significant gap remains in understanding the specific applications and effectiveness of ChatGPT in scoring EFL essays and providing qualitative feedback on the language, content, and organization aspects of EFL essays. As the capabilities of AI models evolve, it is essential to compare the performance of various iterations, such as ChatGPT3.5 and 4, to determine their role in real classroom settings. This comparison can reveal improvements and identify any persistent challenges, providing valuable insights for educators and developers. Moreover, the urgency to explore this area stemmed from the growing demand for effective and efficient assessment methods that can accommodate the diverse needs of EFL students and alleviate the increasing workload on EFL teachers (Gibbs & Simpson, 2004 ; Hu & Zhang, 2014 ; Wu et al., 2022 ).

Therefore, this study aimed to address this gap by investigating how ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4 can assist classroom teachers in assessing EFL essays. By focusing on ChatGPT’s capabilities in reliably scoring EFL essays and providing relevant qualitative feedback, this study aimed to offer insights into leveraging ChatGPT to enhance assessment practices in EFL writing classrooms.

Literature review

The nature of efl writing assessment.

EFL writing assessments encompass both scoring and providing qualitative feedback on EFL essays (Baker, 2016 ; Lei, 2017 ; Li & Huang, 2022 ; Liu & Huang, 2020 ; Niu & Zhang, 2018 ; Wu et al., 2022 ; Yao et al., 2020 ; Yu & Hu, 2017 ; Zhao & Huang, 2020 ). The scoring of EFL essays typically involves one or more human raters, who are invited to score the essays either holistically or analytically (Huang, 2008 , 2012 ; Lee et al., 2002 ; Li, 2012 ; Zhang, 2009 ). However, the scores that human raters assign to EFL essays may fluctuate due to various factors such as raters’ linguistic and assessment experience, their adherence to scoring criteria, and even their tolerance for errors (Barkaoui, 2010 ; Lee & Kantor, 2007 ; Guo, 2006 ; Roberts & Cimasko, 2008 ). Therefore, raters are a potential source of measurement error that can affect score reliability (Huang & Whipple, 2023 ).

Reliability is considered essential for sound EFL writing assessment (Barkaoui, 2010 ; Huang, 2008 , 2012 ; Huang & Whipple, 2023 ; Lee et al., 2002 ; Li & Huang, 2022 ; Lin, 2014 ). The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA et al., 2014 ) define reliability as the consistency of measurement outcomes across instances of the measurement procedure. Inter-rater reliability assesses the agreement among different raters scoring the same responses (AERA et al., 2014 ; Lee et al., 2002 ). Numerous studies have examined the inter-rater reliability of EFL writing assessments and have suggested implications for improving EFL writing assessment practices (e.g., Barkaoui, 2010 ; Lee et al., 2002 ).

Furthermore, EFL writing assessments require raters to provide qualitative feedback on the language, content, and organization of each essay (Lee et al., 2023 ; Guo & Wang, 2023 ). This feedback should be relevant and effective so that students can revise and edit their essays accordingly (Li & Huang, 2022 ; Lu et al., 2024 ; Wu et al., 2022 ). Relevant and effective feedback is defined as feedback that is perceived as clear, understandable, and supportive, enabling students to take specific, constructive actions toward improvement in their EFL writing (Koltovskaia, 2020 ; Link et al., 2022 ).

Advantages of using generalizability theory in EFL writing assessment

In the field of EFL writing assessment, ensuring the reliability and validity of test scores is paramount. Generalizability (G-) theory, developed by Cronbach et al. ( 1972 ), offers a robust framework that surpasses classical test theory (CTT) by providing a comprehensive approach to evaluating and improving the reliability of assessments. Using G-theory in EFL writing assessment has several advantages.

One of the primary advantages of G-theory is its capacity to disentangle the multiple sources of variance that affect test scores (Li & Huang, 2022 ; Liu & Huang, 2020 , Brennan, 2001 ). Unlike CTT, which provides a single reliability coefficient, G-theory allows for the examination of different facets of measurement error, including rater variability, task variability, and the interaction between persons and tasks (Brennan, 2001 ; Shavelson & Webb, 1991 ). This detailed analysis is crucial in EFL writing assessment, where inconsistencies can arise from various factors, such as subjective rater judgments and the diverse nature of writing tasks.

Conducting a G-study within the framework of G-theory enables researchers to quantify the extent to which each source of variance contributes to the total score variance (Gao & Brennan, 2001 ; Shavelson & Webb, 1991 ). For instance, G-theory can determine how much of the variance is attributable to the examinee’s true ability, the inconsistencies in scoring among different raters, and the specific tasks chosen for the assessment.

Moreover, G-theory facilitates the optimization of assessment procedures through decision (D-) studies. These studies identify the most significant sources of measurement error and suggest practical ways to enhance score reliability (Brennan, 2001 ; Shavelson & Webb, 1991 ). For example, increasing the number of raters or tasks can reduce the impact of individual rater biases and task-specific difficulties, leading to more reliable and valid scores. This flexibility in optimizing assessment conditions is a significant advantage in the dynamic field of EFL writing assessment (Liu & Huang, 2020 ; Zhao & Huang, 2020 ).

Finally, the use of G-theory also contributes to the fairness of EFL writing assessment. By systematically analyzing and addressing sources of measurement error, G-theory helps ensure that test scores are not unduly influenced by extraneous factors unrelated to the examinee’s true writing proficiency (Liu & Huang, 2020 ; Wu et al., 2022 ). This focus on fairness is particularly important in high-stakes testing environments, where the consequences of assessment outcomes can significantly impact learners’ educational and professional opportunities.

In conclusion, G-theory provides a detailed framework for analyzing and improving the reliability, validity, and fairness of test scores. Its ability to disentangle various sources of measurement error, coupled with the flexibility to optimize assessment conditions, makes G-theory a powerful tool for educators and test developers. Consequently, it was employed as the quantitative methodological framework for this study.

The benefits of ChatGPT in EFL writing classrooms

The integration of ChatGPT in EFL writing classrooms has received significant attention in recent educational research. This section critically examines the benefits of ChatGPT in enhancing writing abilities and assessment processes within EFL settings, drawing on findings from ten recent studies.

Research focusing on specific writing tasks suggests that ChatGPT can significantly enhance the writing process. Guo et al. ( 2024 ) examined the effectiveness of ChatGPT in assisting five Chinese EFL undergraduate students’ argumentative writing task. The results indicated that ChatGPT provided essential assistance for them to scaffold the process of their argumentative writing. Similarly, Su et al. ( 2023 ) explored the possibility of using ChatGPT to assist EFL students’ argumentative writing in classroom settings. The results indicated that ChatGPT can assist students with outlining, revising, editing, and proofreading tasks in the writing classrooms.

A notable area of inquiry compares the performance of ChatGPT with human instructors. Guo and Wang ( 2023 ) investigated ChatGPT’s in contrast to five EFL teachers’ performance in providing feedback on 50 Chinese undergraduate students’ argumentative writing. Specifically, ChatGPT and the teacher participants gave feedback on the language, content, and organization aspects of these essays. The amount and type of feedback comparison between ChatGPT and human teachers indicated that ChatGPT performed significantly better than the human teachers. This is echoed in studies by Zhang et al. ( 2023a ), who examined the perceived effectiveness of ChatGPT in contrast to web-based learning in terms of developing 15 Chinese EFL students’ knowledge of logical fallacy and motivation in English writing. The results showed that ChatGPT was slightly less effective in developing students’ knowledge but more effective in improving their learning motivation than the website. Zhang et al. ( 2023b ) further examined the impact of ChatGPT training on 15 Chinese EFL students’ logical fallacies in EFL writing and reported positive findings.

Lu et al. ( 2024 ) examined if ChatGPT can effectively complement classroom teachers’ assessment of 46 Chinese undergraduate students’ English academic writing tasks. Their findings suggested that ChatGPT can effectively augment traditional teacher assessments, providing a robust tool that supports and enhances evaluative processes.

The impact of ChatGPT on student motivation and writing skills has also been a focus. Song and Song ( 2023 ) evaluated the impact of ChatGPT on 50 Chinese EFL students’ writing motivation and writing skills. An experimental group (ChatGPT-assisted) and a control group (with no-ChatGPT assistance) were compared in both writing motivation and skills. The findings suggested that the experimental group demonstrated higher writing motivation and better writing skills.

Studies exploring ChatGPT acceptance and utilization across different educational backgrounds offer insights into its broader applicability. Zuo and Huang ( 2023a ) examined the impact of ChatGPT on the English writing of 215 Chinese doctoral students from diverse educational backgrounds. The results revealed that ChatGPT can be a useful tool for their English writing at pre-, during-, and post-writing stages. Furthermore, Zou and Huang ( 2023b ) investigated 242 Chinese doctoral students’ acceptance of ChatGPT in their EFL writing. Again, the results revealed positive findings. ChatGPT can be an effective AI tool in EFL writing.

Despite the positive outcomes, there are concerns regarding the integration of ChatGPT in educational settings. Yan ( 2023 ) examined the impact of ChatGPT on Chinese EFL students in an English writing practicum. The findings suggested the potential application of using ChatGPT in EFL writing classrooms, although participants expressed their concerns about academic integrity. This suggests the need for careful consideration and guidelines when deploying ChatGPT in education.

To sum up, these studies suggest that ChatGPT can play a transformative role in EFL writing classrooms. It not only enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of writing assessments but also improves student motivation and engagement with writing tasks. However, the adoption of such technologies must be navigated with attention to ethical considerations and the potential need for new pedagogical strategies to optimize AI integration in educational contexts.

Research gaps and questions

While existing studies have highlighted the potential benefits of ChatGPT in enhancing EFL writing processes and complementing traditional EFL writing assessments, there is a lack of comprehensive research comparing the performance of different versions of ChatGPT in real classroom settings. Specifically, the relevance and reliability of ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4 in scoring EFL essays and providing qualitative feedback have not been thoroughly investigated. Additionally, there is a need to understand how these AI tools measure up against human instructors in terms of consistency, depth, and relevance of feedback.

To address these gaps, this study examined the role of ChatGPT in enhancing EFL writing assessments in Chinese college English classrooms. Specifically, it addressed the following two research questions: a) what is the reliability of the holistic scores assigned to EFL essays by ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4 compared to college English teachers? b) What is the relevance of the qualitative feedback provided on EFL essays by ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4 compared to college English teachers?

The participants

The participants included 30 non-English major undergraduate students and four college English teachers from a university in Beijing, China. The 30 students were slightly different in their English writing proficiency as measured by their final examination in the previous semester. Among them, 21 were females, and nine males. They were invited to complete the above writing task in a normal class session within 30 minutes required by the CET-4 administration. The four English teachers had been teaching college English writing in that university for over ten years; further, all of them had served as the national CET-4 writing raters.

Like the four college English teachers, ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4 served as raters of the writing samples in this study. They were used as powerful tools in EFL writing assessments because the integration of ChatGPT versions in EFL writing assessments has revolutionized the approach to evaluating and enhancing student writing by offering comprehensive support across various stages of the writing process, such as outlining, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading (e.g., Guo et al., 2024 ; Su et al., 2023 ; Zou & Huang, 2023a ; Zou & Huang, 2023b ). Studies have demonstrated that ChatGPT could provide detailed and relevant feedback, often surpassing traditional methods in depth and clarity, thereby aiding students in identifying and correcting errors more effectively (e.g., Guo et al., 2024 ; Su et al., 2023 ). Furthermore, its adaptability allows ChatGPT to assist students from diverse educational backgrounds, providing tailored assistance that addresses individual needs (Zou & Huang, 2023a ; Zou & Huang, 2023b ).

The writing task

The writing task for this study was an authentic one (see below) previously utilized in the national College English Test Band 4 (CET-4) writing examination in China.

Suppose you have two options upon graduation: One is to find a job somewhere and the other to go to a graduate school. You are to make a choice between the two. Write an essay to explain the reasons for your choice. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words .

Data collection procedures

Since EFL writing assessments involve quantitative scoring as well as providing qualitative feedback, this study compared both aspects of EFL writing assessments between ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4 and four college English teachers. Data collection was performed in two major steps.

In the first step, the four college English teachers were invited to assess the 30 essays written by the 30 non-English major undergraduate students. They first scored each essay holistically at their own pace following the CET-4 assessment criteria (see Supplementary Information) and then provided qualitative feedback on the language, content, and organization aspects of these essays. Since they had previously served as the national CET-4 writing raters, only a brief online training was provided to these teacher raters before they started to assess the 30 EFL essays. The training included (a) review of CET-4 scoring criteria, (b) assessment of three selected writing samples, and (c) discussion of assessment outcomes.

In the second step, training was provided to ChatGPT versions. The training focused on refining its scoring of the same three writing samples aligned with the CET-4 criteria to enhance its assessment algorithms and ensure accurate scoring. Following a similar approach to the human raters, ChatGPT received this training before commencing its assessments of the 30 EFL essays. Data collection with ChatGPT (both versions 3.5 and 4) were completed four times (with three-day time interval) separately. Following the same procedures as human raters, ChatGPT first scored the essays holistically following the CET-4 assessment criteria (see Supplementary Information); and then, provided qualitative feedback on the language, content, and organization aspects of these essays.

Data analysis methods

Quantitative analysis was performed within the framework of G-theory using GENOVA (Crick & Brennan, 1983 ), a computer program designed for estimating variance components and their standard errors in balanced designs. Specifically, person-by-ChatGPT 3.5 rater ( p x r G3.5 ), person-by-ChatGPT4 rater ( p x r G4 ), and person-by-teacher rater ( p x r t ) random effects G-studies were executed, followed by person-by-ChatGPT 3.5 rater ( P x R G3.5 ), person-by-ChatGPT4 rater ( P x R G4 ), and person-by-teacher rater ( P x R t ) random effects D-studies, with G - and Phi -coefficients calculated. Because the aim of this study was to compare the score variability and reliability among ChatGPT3.5, 4, and teacher raters, only the facet of rater was considered in the G-theory analyses.

Qualitative feedback provided by each type of rater (i.e., ChatGPT versions 3.5, 4, and teachers) was analyzed at two levels. First, the feedback was color-coded, sorted, and organized by the researchers independently, and then grouped according to themes, by the research team collaboratively (Creswell & Creswell, 2023 ). A three-level coding scheme was used to code the qualitative feedback on language, content, and organization. Second, the grouped qualitative feedback was further quantified in terms of the number of effective feedback statements for descriptive statistical analysis. Finally, major themes within the domains of language, content, and organization were identified.

Holistic score reliability by ChatGPT versions 3.5, 4, and teacher raters

Within the framework of G-theory, G-studies are performed to examine the score variability, i.e., to obtain the percentage of total score variance each variance component could explain; the obtained variance components can be further analyzed through D-studies to examine the score reliability (Brennan, 2001 ). Therefore, results for both the G- and D-studies are presented in Tables 1 and 2 , respectively.

Table 1 details the outcomes from the three G-studies conducted for ChatGPT versions 3.5, 4, and teacher raters, respectively. In all three cases, the object of measurement (i.e., person, p ), representing the students’ writing abilities, emerged as the most significant source of variance. Specifically, for ChatGPT version 3.5 scoring, the variance component associated with person accounted for 64.91% of the total variance; for ChatGPT version 4 scoring, the same variance component explained 87.63% of the total variance; for teachers’ scoring, the person variance component explained 76.59% of the total variance. The person variance component is the desired variance because it is believed that students’ writing abilities vary from person to person (Brennan, 2001 ; Huang, 2008 , 2012 ).

Furthermore, as shown in Table 1 , for the ChatGPT version 3.5 scoring scenario, the residual variance component explained 32.88% of the total variance. It includes variability due to interactions between facets and other unmeasured errors. Over 32% of the unexplained variance indicates hidden facets, which were not considered in the design but might have affected the scoring of students’ essays (Brennan, 2001 ; Huang, 2008 , 2012 ). For ChatGPT version 4 and teacher raters, the same variance component explained 10.83% and 18.58% of the total variance, respectively.

Finally, as shown in Table 1 , in all three cases, the rater variance component (i.e., r G3.5 , r G4 , and r t ), reflecting the differences in scoring leniency or stringency among raters, was the least significant source of variance. It explained 2.21%, 1.54%, and 4.83% for ChatGPT versions 3.5, 4, and teacher raters, respectively, suggesting that the three types of raters scored students’ writing tasks fairly consistently.

Results of the three D-studies highlight an overall increase of the reliability of holistic scores from ChatGPT version 3.5, teachers, and ChatGPT version 4 (see Table 2 ). Table 2 details the reliability measures for the three types of raters, utilizing the G-coefficients (for norm-referenced interpretations) and Phi-coefficients (for criterion-referenced interpretations). These coefficients were calculated under conditions from single to ten raters for each essay.

For the EFL essays, when assessed by a single rater, the G-coefficients for ChatGPT versions 3.5, 4, and teacher raters were 0.66, 0.89, and 0.80, respectively, with corresponding Phi-coefficients of 0.65, 0.88, and 0.77. When the number of raters increased to two, there was a notable improvement in reliability for three types of raters. Specifically, G-coefficients rose to 0.80, 0.94, and 0.89 for ChatGPT versions 3.5, 4, and teacher raters, respectively, while Phi-coefficients increased to 0.79, 0.93, and 0.87, respectively.

In comparison, ChatGPT version 3.5 scoring exhibited lower reliability coefficients than teacher raters; however, ChatGPT version 4 scoring achieved higher reliability coefficients than the teachers. These findings suggest that ChatGPT version 3.5 could be a good AI tool to enhance the scoring of EFL essays; it could be an effective aid to teachers’ scoring of EFL writing. Yet, ChatGPT version 4 could be an even better AI tool that could possibly replace teacher raters in scoring EFL compositions in the classroom settings.

Relevance of qualitative feedback across ChatGPT versions 3.5, 4, and teacher raters

The qualitative feedback on the 30 EFL essays by ChatGPT versions 3.5, 4, and teacher raters was analyzed both quantitatively (i.e., the mean and standard deviation) and qualitatively (i.e., themes) in terms of its relevance of feedback. The results are presented in Tables 3 and 4 , respectively.

Table 3 displays the descriptive statistics of the number of effective feedback given by ChatGPT versions 3.5, 4, and teacher raters. ChatGPT version 4 gave the most number of effective feedback on language (mean = 201.25, SD = 4.46), content (mean = 103.5, SD = 3.68), and organization (mean = 106.5, SD = 3.98); ChatGPT version 3.5 gave the second-most number of effective feedback on language (mean = 179.5, SD = 9.25), content (mean = 89.5, SD = 7.62), and organization (mean = 94.25, SD = 9.59); and teacher raters gave the fewest number of effective feedback on language (mean = 54.5, SD = 12.56), content (mean = 20.75, SD = 8.72), and organization (mean = 36.25, SD = 12.79).

Overall, the descriptive statistical results suggest that effective feedback on language, content, and organization varied substantially among ChatGPT versions 3.5, 4, and teacher feedback givers. ChatGT version 4 gave substantially the most effective feedback, numerically speaking, followed by ChatGPT version 3.5 and teacher feedback givers.

To further assess and categorize the effective feedback on essays given by ChatGPT versions 3.5, 4, and teacher raters, it is crucial to identify and consolidate major themes within the domains of language, content, and organization (see Table 4 ). This approach allows for a clearer understanding of the areas needing improvement, as well as how feedback from each rater group contributes to these themes. The major findings are presented in the next section.

The feedback across all three groups emphasizes several critical issues related to language use in essays, albeit with varying specifics: (a) grammar and syntax errors, (b) sentence structure and complexity, (c) word choice and vocabulary, and (d) spelling and typos.

First, all three rater groups noted significant concerns with grammatical errors, including incorrect verb tenses and article usage. These errors affect the clarity and readability of the essays. Second, concerns about sentence structure are universal across the feedback. ChatGPT3.5 specifically mentioned a lack of complexity, while ChatGPT4 and teacher raters pointed out problematic structures and incorrect expressions, indicating a fundamental issue with forming coherent and sophisticated sentences. Third, each rater group highlighted issues with word choice, including inappropriate or awkward phrasing and a lack of vocabulary variety. Teacher raters also noted the influence of thinking in another language (Chinese) on expression, which suggests a deeper, cross-linguistic challenge. Finally, both ChatGPT4 and teacher raters identified spelling errors and typos as a concern, indicating a need for more careful proofreading and attention to detail.

The following are specific feedback given by ChatGPT3.5, 4, and teachers on the language use of essay #23 (see below), respectively.

I am a university student who will graduate of my university after two years. May be most students who like me will leave school and will choose to take examinations for a graduate programme, but I will not do it like this.

I was often talk about the thing with my friends after came back. Coincidentally, we have a same answer which is go to work after graduation directly. I think and we all think that experience after to go to walk by you is better than you take two years to get a postgraduate by getting by under false pretences. But we don’t consider it will be what, if we keep the learning way on school until doctor.

My family ask me to take examinations for a graduate programme, but I don’t want to do it. So my choice is indeterminate.

“The essay suffers from numerous language errors, including grammar, syntax, and vocabulary choices, making it difficult to understand; many sentences are unclear or fragmented, such as ‘ May be most students who like me will leave school will choose to take examinations for a graduate programme ,’ which could be revised for clarity; and there are also issues with word choice and phrasing throughout the essay.” (Feedback given by ChatGPT3.5)

ChatGPT4 provided the following feedback on language use for the same essay: “The essay contains numerous language errors that affect clarity and comprehension. Issues include grammatical errors (‘ graduate of my university ,’ ‘ May be most students who like me ,’ ‘ I was often talk ’), misuse of words (‘ go to walk by you ,’ ‘ getting by under false pretences ’), and awkward phrasing (‘ we have a same answer ,’ ‘ concider it will be what ’). These errors significantly impede the reader’s understanding of your arguments. To improve, focus on verb tense consistency, proper preposition use, and clearer expression of ideas. Additionally, using simpler, more direct language can help avoid confusion.” (Feedback given by ChatGPT4)

“There are numerous language errors, most of which are serious grammatical mistakes, leaving essentially no correct sentences. ‘ May be most students who like me will leave school will choose to take examinations for a graduate program ’ uses ‘ May be ’ incorrectly, the relative clause ‘ who like me ’ has a verb error, and the main clause improperly uses two sets of verbs, ‘ will leave ’ and ‘ will choose ,’ consecutively. Instances such as ‘ I was often talk about ’ and ‘ is go to work ’ feature multiple verb errors in a single sentence.” (Feedback given by one teacher rater)

In terms of content, the feedback revealed common themes of inadequacy in argument development and support: (a) lack of depth and specificity, (b) argument clarity and support, and (c) engagement and persuasiveness.

First, all three rater groups found the essays lacking in depth and specificity. There is a consistent call for more specific examples and personal experiences to strengthen arguments. Second, teacher raters’ feedback suggested essays are often off-topic or have a central idea that is not clearly articulated, paralleling concerns from three groups about vague arguments and a lack of evidence and support. Finally, ChatGPT4 specifically mentioned the absence of potential counterarguments and the overall unconvincing nature of the essays, pointing towards a need for more engaging and thoughtfully constructed arguments.

The following are specific feedback given by ChatGPT3.5, 4, and teachers on the content aspect of essay #23 (see above), respectively.

“The content lacks coherence and depth, with unclear reasoning and incomplete thoughts. The author mentions discussions with friends and family but fails to provide clear reasons for their own choice or discuss potential consequences. The essay also ends abruptly, leaving the reader with an incomplete understanding of the author’s perspective.” (Feedback given by ChatGPT3.5)

“The essay’s content is somewhat pertinent to the topic, but it lacks depth and specificity. The reasons for choosing to work immediately after graduation are not clearly articulated beyond a general preference for gaining experience. The mention of discussions with friends and family introduces potentially interesting perspectives, yet these are not explored in detail. To enhance your essay, consider including specific examples of how working immediately can offer valuable experiences or how it aligns with your personal or career goals.” (Feedback given by ChatGPT4)

“The central theme of the article is unclear; although it is divided into three paragraphs, the content is fragmented and disorganized.” (Feedback given by one teacher rater)

Organization

The organization of essays is another area where raters express significant concerns: (a) cohesion and flow, and (b) structural concerns.

First, feedback across all three rater groups pointed to a lack of coherence, with essays described as disjointed or barely coherent. This included specific mentions of missing transitions and unclear topic sentences, indicating a broader issue with connecting ideas logically and smoothly. Second, there is a shared observation about illogical flow and unclear organization, with ChatGPT4 explicitly noting the failure to achieve coherence and a meaningful conclusion. This suggests essays struggle with not only the order of ideas but also with effectively concluding and reinforcing arguments.

The following are specific feedback given by ChatGPT3.5, 4, and teachers on the organization aspect of essay #23 (see above), respectively.

“The essay lacks a clear organizational structure, with ideas presented in a disorganized manner. Transitions between ideas are weak, making it difficult to follow the author’s train of thought. The essay jumps between different topics without establishing a clear progression of ideas, further contributing to the lack of coherence.” (Feedback given by ChatGPT3.5)

“The organization of the essay is challenging to follow. Ideas are presented in a somewhat disjointed manner, with the transition from personal reflections to discussions with friends and family feeling abrupt. There is also a lack of a clear conclusion; the essay ends on an ambiguous note (“ So my choise is indeterminate ”), which leaves the reader unsure of your final decision or reasoning. Organizing your essay with a clear introduction, body paragraphs that each focus on a specific reason or example supporting your choice, and a definitive conclusion summarizing your stance would greatly improve coherence.” (Feedback given by ChatGPT4)

“The organizational structure is chaotic and lacks substance, without a conclusion. Argumentative essays must have a clear viewpoint.” (Feedback given by one teacher rater)

In sum, the feedback themes highlight pervasive issues in language use, content development, and organizational structure across the essays assessed by ChatGPT versions 3.5, 4, and teacher raters. This consolidated feedback emphasized the need for focused instruction and practice in grammatical accuracy, vocabulary expansion, argument development, and essay structuring to enhance both the clarity and persuasive power of student writing. Addressing these areas with targeted strategies could significantly improve essay quality and effectiveness.

The findings from this study contribute to the ongoing research on the efficacy of ChatGPT in educational settings, particularly in the assessment of EFL writing. This study investigated the reliability of writing scores and the relevance of qualitative feedback provided by ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4, aligning with and expanding upon existing literature on AI-driven educational assessments.

Consistent with the broader trend identified in studies such as Guo and Wang ( 2023 ) and Zhang et al. ( 2023b ), our findings delineate a clear evolution in ChatGPT capabilities. While ChatGPT 3.5 showed lower reliability coefficients similar to earlier implementations noted by Guo et al. ( 2024 ), ChatGPT4 demonstrated higher reliability, surpassing that of human raters. This suggests an enhancement in AI sophistication and reliability over time, reinforcing Lu et al.‘s ( 2024 ) findings that ChatGPT can complement and enhance traditional assessment methods.

In line with Su et al. ( 2023 ) and Yan ( 2023 ), who highlighted ChatGPT’s capacity to assist significantly in the writing process, our study found that both versions of ChatGPT provided more effective and comprehensive feedback compared to human teachers. This supports the narrative from Zou and Huang ( 2023a , 2023b ), who reported ChatGPT’s positive impact on student writing across multiple stages. Human raters tended to focus more on language aspects, while ChatGPT provided balanced feedback across language, content, and organization, echoing concerns raised by Song and Song ( 2023 ) about areas for improvement in human feedback.

Our findings underscore the potential for AI, particularly advanced iterations like ChatGPT4, to play a critical role in augmenting the assessment processes within EFL classrooms. This is particularly relevant given Zhang et al. ( 2023a ) highlighted the need for tools that can motivate and enhance learning outcomes. By automating initial assessments and routine feedback, AI tools can allow educators to focus on more personalized teaching strategies, a possibility supported by the broader application of AI in educational settings discussed by Lu et al. ( 2024 ).

This study provides valuable insights into the potential of ChatGPT to enhance EFL writing assessments, with a particular focus on the reliability and relevance of ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4. The results highlight that ChatGPT4 exhibits higher reliability coefficients compared to human raters, suggesting that advanced AI technology can offer more consistent and objective assessment outcomes. Additionally, both versions of ChatGPT were found to provide more comprehensive feedback across multiple dimensions of writing than human raters.

The implications of these findings are significant for language education. Improved reliability in scoring can lead to fairer and more equitable evaluations of student work, while comprehensive feedback can help students identify and correct a broader range of issues in their writing. For educators, adopting ChatGPT can complement instructional strategies with AI insights, potentially enriching the learning experience and fostering deeper understanding.

However, this study has several limitations. The sample size was limited to 30 essays from non-English major students at a single university, restricting the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, the use of human raters from one institution could introduce bias, and focusing on only two versions of ChatGPT may not capture the variability present in other AI models or configurations.

Future research should consider broader demographic studies and explore the impacts of various AI models in educational settings. Despite these limitations, the study underscores the transformative potential of AI in educational assessments, suggesting that tools like ChatGPT could significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of evaluating English writing tasks. By improving reliability, offering comprehensive feedback, reducing teacher workload, facilitating personalized learning, and preparing for future technologies, ChatGPT stands to play a crucial role in modernizing and advancing language education.

Data availability

The participants did not provide written informed consent to share their personal feedback data publicly. They are the owners of their feedback on students’ writing samples. However, they did provide written informed consent to share their feedback with individuals on reasonable request. Therefore, the datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author ONLY on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Shanghai Educational Sciences Research Program (C2024114) granted to Junfei Li.

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These authors contributed equally: Junfei Li, Jinyan Huang, Wenyan Wu.

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Shanghai Dianji University, Shanghai, China

The School of Teacher Education, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

Jinyan Huang

The Evidence-based Research Center for Educational Assessment (ERCEA), Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, Beijing, China

The Genesee Valley Board of Cooperative Educational Services, New York, USA

Patrick B. Whipple

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Junfei Li: conceptualization, literature, methodology, data acquisition, data analysis, and writing. Jinyan Huang: conceptualization, literature, methodology, data analysis, writing, and editing for submission. Wenyn Wu: conceptualization, literature, methodology, data acquisition, data analysis, and revision. Patrick Whipple: conceptualization, methodology, data acquisition, and proofreading.

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Li, J., Huang, J., Wu, W. et al. Evaluating the role of ChatGPT in enhancing EFL writing assessments in classroom settings: A preliminary investigation. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11 , 1268 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03755-2

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03755-2

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